PAL Upgrades Wireless IFE

First Airline Again To Use OnAir Plug 

“There is no question that wireless IFE is working for our passengers.”  Ramon Ang.

18 September 2014

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has upgraded its OnAir wireless IFE and Connectivity services that will be installed on all new generation bi-class A330-300 as well as six of its Airbus A340 aircraft.

“All the long-range aircraft will therefore be equipped with OnAir’s full IFEC package of mobile phone and Wi-Fi services, and wireless IFE”, says outgoing PAL President & Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang in a statement this morning.

Full OnAir suite has already been installed on all B777-300ER fleet of PAL  which are deployed on the airline's long haul route network.

The low cost OnAir Play was first introduced on board PAL in May this year which includes the new monoclass A330's, becoming the first airline to be installed with Wireless IFE services by OnAir, a Geneva based company.

OnAir launched in 2005, is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity services.

“Through PAL’s iNAiR offerings, passengers can now select from an array of movies, television programs and music thus enabling them to customize their inflight entertainment” says Ang

“Passengers’ response to being able to use their own phones, tablets and laptops for both IFE and connectivity has been overwhelmingly positive. Adding OnAir Play to more aircraft was an easy decision.”  adds Ang about the upgrade.

“While we are very much aware that we are breaking new ground by not having traditional embedded IFE on the brand new A330s, there is no question that wireless IFE is working for our passengers.”  Ang said.

Ramon Ang will remain President of PAL until the end of October 2014.

PAL has been very satisfied with OnAir product that it is installing the full IPEC package, including the latest product innovation, the OnAir plug on its new aircraft.  

“There is no better proof of an airline’s confidence in your products than a follow-on fleet extension order within such a short timeframe,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. 

OnAir Plug is a new product that provides inflight Internet access for the airline itself over a secure dedicated wireless network. 

By using OnAir Plug to exchange real-time data between cabin crews and the ground, airlines can optimize their inflight and ground operations.

OnAir Plug is agnostic, neutral and secure: the wireless network can be accessed by any Wi-Fi enabled device and supports all crew member applications.

“This is the first major step in unleashing the full potential of the e-Aircraft,” adds Dawkins.

Dawkins said that Philippine Airlines is the launch customer for their OnAir Plug product. 

“It is the first airline in the world to provide mobile phone, Wi-Fi and wireless inflight entertainment for their passengers. The airline now has access to a range of services previously unavailable to the crew” says Dawkins.